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Posting Etiquette
When you're creating posts on Warden's Vigil, it's important to keep some minor etiquette points in mind. You won't find yourself in the King's dungeon if you don't follow these, but they are certainly welcome practices. Dialogue Color If you read through any of the posts on WV, you'll see that our dialogue is color-coded by character. This might seem odd, but there is a reason to the madness: color-coded dialogue stands out, and makes it easily identifiable who spoke, rather than relying on dialogue tags. This is especially important in multi-character threads. There is a color wheel button next to font size, it let's you dropper select a color and the code appears that can be copied. You may choose from that, or you can also choose a custom color to be coded manually, using any number of HTML color code guides that are out there, like this one or this one. To make it easier on other players to find your dialogue color, please put the code in your signature. Copy/Pasting Dialogue Sometimes it's essential to copy/paste dialogue into your own post to show what, exactly, your character is reacting to. When you do, you must copy/paste the dialogue itself exactly, because it's spoken. However, be careful not to copy the text surrounding the dialogue. This text can often contain character-specific thoughts or actions that your character might not know or see. Also, certain characters have a very specific internal voice (like Oghren) and copying over internal dialogue spoken in their voice can be jarring. When you copy/paste dialogue, try to interpret how it's said, or the other character's attitude, expression, emotions, etc., from your character's point of view. If you were actually there, listening to that character speak, what would you be seeing, feeling, thinking? Remember that in the real world, the emotions behind words are often misinterpreted. Thread Status We generally mark threads Open, Semi-Open, or Closed, or, occasionally, there will be no marker for thread status. Here is what those markers mean: *'Open:' Anyone who is in the area is welcome to join. You do not need to PM the creator of the thread to do so. *'Semi-Open:' There is a story plot in progress, but there may be room for additional characters to join in. Please PM the creator of the thread to check. *'Closed:' This is a thread intended for a specific purpose (e.g., to further a plot or relationship). Characters who are not already involved in the thread would have to have a really good reason to join it. If you think your character might be a worthwhile addition, by all means, feel free to PM the creator of the thread with your idea, but be prepared for them to say no. *'Unmarked:' Usually threads that have no status marker means that the creator is undecided about whether the thread should be open or not. Feel free to PM them with your question to join. *'Complete:' Threads marked as complete mean that their particular story is done, and there will be no more posts. Posting Order When you're in a thread with more than one other character, the posting order can get a little complex. It's essential to keep some sort of order to posts, however, to ensure that the players involved aren't confused. For example, in a four-person thread, the posting order would be: *Character A *Character B *Character C *Character D If, after a couple of rounds, a fifth character joins in after Character B's post, the posting order would now be: *Character A *Character B *Character E *Character C *Character D Posting in Multiple Threads If you're involved in multiple threads, it’s a good idea to try to stick to an order for replying to each thread. Often there will be threads that take priority over others. Examples would be threads that are part of a board-wide event, or threads that must be completed before the next step in a plot can take place, and people are waiting on that. This format for roleplaying is highly dependent on the involvement of all players. Everyone has days where a particular character might be “speaking” louder than the others. But keep in mind, that no matter the priority of the thread in the grand scheme of the board, you do have people waiting for you to post. Try to be as timely as you can, within real life constraints, of course. Similarly, do not take on more threads than you can handle. It can be very easy to do, especially when you’re starting to settle into your character and getting excited about his or her direction. Taking on so many threads that posting feels like work instead of fun is the first step on the road to burning out. (And we want you to have fun here!) Manage your thread load to what you can reasonably handle. Date Marking When you create a thread for other players to join, mark the date and time of day at the top of the thread using the Thedas Calendar. This allows people to know where their characters are at the time of the thread and whether or not they can join in. Examples of Format: *MM/DD AGE:YEAR = 01/15 9:32 *MM, DD AGE:YEAR = Wintermarch, 15 9:32 These should be added in double parenthesis at the beginning of a thread. Time of day should be marked as a general time, midday, noon, afternoon, evening, etc. Inactive/Absent Characters At WV, we always go by the adage that Real Life comes first. Occasionally this means a character will fall inactive or be absent for an extended period of time. This can have a negative effect on threads in which that character was involved. If you need to leave WV for an extended period of time, please try to notify the people with whom you’re posting. If you’re in a thread with an inactive or absent character: *After a week of no posts from that character, please send them a PM to inquire about when you might expect a post. *If you do not hear from the player within another week, and that character’s involvement is not essential to a plot or the continuation of the thread, please continue the thread by writing out the character in question, or simply ignoring their presence, whichever is more suitable. *If it is a plot thread and the character is essential to the ongoing story, please contact the moderating team and we will help you determine the best course of action. We prefer not to NPC player characters unless it is absolutely necessary, though sometimes it is unavoidable. In most cases, we will help you determine the end actions for that particular thread, so the thread can be abandoned and the story continued in another thread without the absent character’s involvement. Category:Rules and Policies Category:Policy Category:Tips and Tricks